Donald Trump 'playing all his strengths' in election

The first Republican presidential debate in the United States is due to begin this afternoon and the spotlight is firmly on Donald Trump, who so far, has been quite prepared to offend all and sundry.

But how will the billionaire businessman fare when he's pitted against the political pedigree of other candidates like Jeb Bush?

Otago University international relations expert Robert Patman this morning joined Paul Henry to discuss the "entertaining character".

"The interesting thing is that he's made tremendous headway, not in terms of substance but in terms of leadership style," says Prof Patman. "He's a straight-talking person who has won a lot of support in the election in the States because he appears to be running against Washington."